MU alumni engaged at Homecoming Parade

Michael Moss' dream consisted of an elaborate proposal to his now fiance, Bree Dunn, at the Homecoming parade. Marching Mizzou would surround Dunn playing a rendition of "Hey Baby." But instead of "Hey baby I wanna know if you'll be my girl," the band would sing "Hey Bree, I wanna know if you'll be my bride."

That's exactly what happened Oct. 27.

Moss proposed to Dunn outside the MU Student Center during the parade. Marching Mizzou surrounded the couple and sang, and with both Moss' and Dunn's families and about 15 to 20 close friends present, Moss got on one knee and proposed.

"It was a great day," Moss said. "I got engaged in the morning and a Tiger victory in the afternoon."

After the proposal, friends and family gathered for an "engagement party" tailgate near the Hearnes Center.

Moss and Dunn met in 2008 during December finals week their junior year at MU. His fraternity, Farmhouse, and her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, had just been paired for homecoming for the following year. The Theta women wanted to get to know the Farmhouse men and invited them over for "finals food."

The two didn't see each other again until the night before the spring semester started, when they both ended up at a birthday celebration for a mutual friend.

"We started talking about our schedules and realized we both had classes in the same vicinity, so we decided to walk together," Moss said.

Dunn joked that she bailed on him a few times before it finally worked out, but she's glad it did.

A couple months later, Dunn and some friends in her sorority went to Farmhouse to watch a movie. Moss asked Dunn to dinner the next night — Feb. 14. She was sure he was unaware that it was Valentine's Day, but soon found out he did know.

Moss began brainstorming ideas for his proposal in September. He has four older brothers, three of whom are married and have elaborate engagement stories. He said he wanted to top them.

Moss said he's not creative when it comes to romantic things, so when he had the dream of the proposal he was unsure.

"I felt like a crazy person telling people I dreamt it," Moss said.

But at the MU football game against Central Florida, Moss told his older brother about the dream. He said his brother reassured him it was a great idea and added,"You know dad knows the director of Marching Mizzou, right?"

His father contacted his friend, Brad Snow, director of Marching Mizzou. Snow organized the group and told them the line they had to sing, but the synchronized choreography of the trombone players was all them, Moss said.

"I'd love to take credit for everything, but I just had the idea," Moss said.

As the band went by, Snow located the couple, who were positioned next to Moss's father, and invited them to come in the middle of the parade. Moss said Snow approached them and said, "I've got a great place for you guys to stand for this next song."

From there, the couple walked into the parade and Moss proposed.

After graduation in 2010, the two went their separate ways — Dunn to Kansas City, and Moss to Fulton for a teaching position at South Callaway High School and to receive his master's degree in education. The plan was Moss would finish his master's degree and find a teaching job in or around Kansas City, which he did last March.

"Then I was finally able to ask her to marry me," he said.

Although a firm date hasn't been set, the two plan to get married next summer.